Storm-damaged Route 209 in national park nearing reopening

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Superintendent John Donahue said the long-awaited reopening of a damaged section of U.S. Route 209 through the park is just a few weeks away.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Superintendent John J. Donahue said the long-awaited reopening of a damaged section of U.S. Route 209 through the park is just a few weeks away.

"We recognize that this section of 209 is a busy route that is used regularly by commuters, local residents and park visitors. That's why completion of this project has been a top priority for park managers and the Federal Highway Administration," said Donahue, who added that the project is running on schedule and should be completed by the end of this month.

A section of Route 209 between Pa. Route 739 and U.S. Route 206 was closed in October 2011 after Federal Highway Administration engineers determined that the road was unsafe for motor vehicles because of significant road failure from a battering of storms in recent years. The latest were by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in late August and early September 2011, which dramatically weakened the roadbed.

Since that time, the road has been closed and a detour has been in effect between Dingmans Ferry and Milford. The failure involved a 150-yard segment of the road at mile marker 15.3, about two miles north of Route 739.

The embankment on the east side of the road slumped and dropped approximately eight vertical feet, taking a section of the Joseph M. McDade Recreational Trail with it.

The pavement separated and dropped by approximately six inches in some places, highlighted by large cracks in the road surface and large open areas developed under the pavement.

The $4.3 million project, funded through the FWHA's Emergency Repair of Federally Owned Roads program, includes installation of a 600-foot long retaining wall and earthen anchors, upgraded drainage, roadway reconstruction and repair of the McDade Trail. Work is being completed by G.A. & F.C. Wagman Inc. from York.